Ofcom fines online suicide forum £950,000 after campaign by survivors and bereaved families

Molly Rose Foundation has welcomed Ofcom’s decision to fine a pro-suicide forum linked to at least 164 UK deaths.

The £950,000 fine comes after pressure from campaigners with the regulator saying last year  it would not pursue enforcement action against the site. Ofcom has now also said it will apply for a court order to block the forum in the UK if its concerns are not addressed.

Andy Burrows, Chief Executive of Molly Rose Foundation, said: “After 13 months of investigation we welcome that Ofcom has taken decisive steps to fine this appalling and deadly forum and will apply to block the site in the courts.

“However, this process has taken an interminable amount of time, and it is appalling that it has been left to bereaved families and campaign groups to press Ofcom into action.

“Molly Rose Foundation submitted detailed evidence which showed scores of vulnerable young people remained at risk while Ofcom’s investigation dragged on. Further lives were lost during this period.

“There are real questions about why it has taken so long for the regulator to act against a forum linked to at least 164 UK deaths.”

Last year, Molly Rose Foundation convened a group of bereaved family members and survivors of the forum to campaign for it to be shut down and has published data revealing at least 65 warnings have been made to Government about the site and a substance it promotes as a suicide method.

The investigation found the forum has not complied with duties under the Online Safety Act to protect people in the UK from illegal content and its provider has two weeks to come into compliance.

Adele Zeynep Walton’s sister Aimee was 21 when she took her own life in 2022 after visiting the forum.

Speaking on behalf of Families and Survivors to Prevent Online Suicide Harms, Adele said: “Families like mine have been agonisingly waiting for action against the website that took our loved ones and at least 164 UK lives.

“While we’ve waited further lives have been lost and we’ve had to fight every step. We feel let down by the process and Ofcom’s slow response to this threat to life.

“The continued existence of this site is a public health crisis, and a fine alone is not enough.

“We now want to see criminal sanctions against the sinister actors who actively groom, encourage and instruct British people to take their lives.”

Adele and the Families and Survivors to Prevent Online Suicide Harms are also calling on the Government to launch a public inquiry into major failures of the State to protect vulnerable young people from the preventable harm caused by the forum.

In July 2025, the forum introduced a voluntary geoblock and Ofcom scaled back its investigation, but reprioritised it after concerns were raised by bereaved families and new evidence emerged.

If you’re struggling just text MRF to 85258 so you can speak to a trained volunteer from Shout, the UK’s Crisis Text Line service.